Z for Zachariah heads to New Zealand

Craig Zobel’s Z for Zachariah, produced by Tobey Maguire and his production company Material Pictures along with Palomar Pictures and Zik Zak Filmworks, is confirmed to shoot in New Zealand. It will start shooting in late January in Canterbury and on locations in Banks Peninsula and Mid-Canterbury.

The cast features Chris Pine, Amanda Seyfried and Chewitel Ejiofor. The thriller, adapted from Robert O’Brien’s classic novel, is set in a remote valley which survives a nuclear holocaust.

Film New Zealand Chief Executive Gisella Carr said: “We are thrilled such a prestigious project is coming to New Zealand. To see a seminal piece of children’s literature brought to the screen here with a celebrated cast and production team is tremendous. This announcement represents a classic team effort by the New Zealanders involved, line producer Murray Francis, Film New Zealand’s specialist enquiries team, and the local authorities through their regional film offices Film Auckland and Film Otago/Southland are all to be commended.”

Zobel said: “New Zealand offers a great variety of options for this type of film, in particular we needed to match some of the more beautiful parts of the US. New Zealand is epic and picturesque, with the lush and vibrant nature this story requires. There are so many different looks close together that you can only get in a place like this.”

Zobel’s past features are The Great World of Sound and Compliance.